


the things we tell ourselves in the dark

by desitonystark



Category: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Genre: Angst, M/M, Minor Skrull Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Misunderstandings, Post-Secret Invasion (Marvel), Skrulls - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27555877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desitonystark/pseuds/desitonystark
Summary: “Still,” he turns away from Tony, because he doesn’t want to hurt him, but if he doesn’t get this out, it might eat him alive, “I was with them for months Tony. Months. How did you not notice? How did you not know it wasn't me?”
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 24
Kudos: 136





	the things we tell ourselves in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> set post s2.12: Secret Invasions. Spoilers for EMH szn 1 and szn2 (upto s2.12) ahead. i have fallen down an EMH rabbit-hole and it is now my favourite stevetony verse (it's been months since ive felt inspired by this ship). I would tag Jaz but she's not reached this far in EMH, but it is crucial that everybody knows my renewed obsession w stevetony is her fault. this is my first time writing for this specific verse, so please be nice!!

“Steve?” He knows that Tony’s calling his name, that Tony’s been trying to unsuccessfully get his attention for the past ten minutes, but he doesn’t look up from where he’s staring at the crevices in his palms.

“Steve I know you’re in there. This is my mansion. I can just have JARVIS open the door for me,” he can picture Tony rubbing the back of his neck, lips twisted in a frown, “I’m trying to do the decent thing here and let you open the door yourself.”

Steve debates not answering, just to see if Tony will leave him alone, but it’s in vain. He’s not been on Earth in months, maybe even a year, and he can admit that he’s missed Tony. Even if he doesn’t want to see him right this moment.

Chances are though, if he blows Tony off now, it will take weeks to fix this distance between them, to fix the months Steve missed out on that the _Skrull_ got. 

With a sigh, he pushes off the bed, and walks over to the door, signalling for JARVIS to open it. He knows that the doors are automated, but generally he prefers to open them himself. Today though, he’s okay for technology to do the work for him.

“Ste -” the door slides open to reveal Tony with his fist raised, frozen in the motion of knocking. He’s clearly ditched the armour at some point between the foyer and Steve’s room, because he’s only in his undersuit. Steve can’t tell if he finds it comforting that Tony trusts him enough to be around him without his suit so soon after the Skrulls, or if he wishes Tony would cover himself up.

The undersuit leaves nothing to the imagination, and Steve doesn’t want to be distracted for this conversation.

“Tony,” he returns neutrally, stepping aside so that Tony can walk into his house, “You knocked. Repeatedly.”

“I wanted to make sure that you were okay,” Tony says, in a soft tone, like he didn’t expect to get this far, “We didn’t get a chance to catch up - what with the imminent alien invasion and having to save the world. Again.”

“It’s been a busy few days,” Steve concedes, “I hear your Skrull detection chip is working flawlessly though. I shouldn’t have expected any less.”

“It’s not actually mine,” Tony admits, “It’s Doom’s. Turns out that’s what he wanted with Janet and Sue, to study them. Get a hold of their genetic makeup. Apparently his obsession with Sue Storm finally paid off, because he noticed that she was acting a little differently. He wanted to find out what that was about.”

“Oh?” Steve tries to keep the surprise out of his voice, but from Tony’s face, it looks like he’s failed. It isn’t that Steve doesn’t understand unlikely team ups, he had to work with _Madame Viper_ after all, but Sue wasn’t the only person that Doom had a weird obsession with, “I didn’t realise you and Doom were working together.”

“Working together is a bit of a stretch,” Tony furrows his brows, “I believe his exact sentiments were that Earth was for _him_ to conquer, and the Skrulls’ plans for world domination interfered with his plans.”

Despite himself, Steve chuckles, “I can see him saying that. I’m guessing he didn’t offer up his services to help take them down when he tasked you with the job, single handedly?”

“Surprisingly, Doom isn’t in the world saving business. Says it’s beneath him.”

They smile at each other, and for a split second, it’s like Steve wasn’t kidnapped by aliens. It’s like it was _before,_ brimming on the precipice of something that Steve can’t define, but he knows that if he tips over and falls; that Tony will be there to catch him.

“How are you Steve, really?” Tony asks in a more sober tone.

“Physically, I’m okay,” Steve says, after what feels like an eternity, “I don’t think there’s anything they could’ve done that would hurt me. Not permanently anyway.”

“But?” Tony asks hesitantly, like he’s afraid of the answer.

“I know now that we were eons away. Somewhere near Saturn. But when they had me, all that kept me going was the thought that the Avengers might save me, that _you_ would save me.”

Steve laughs, but it’s hollow, “The funny thing is, they actually tried that. Impersonating the team, staging an escape to break me. By then, I’d lost hope. I knew that if I had to get out, it was on my terms.”

“Still,” he turns away from Tony, because he doesn’t want to hurt him, but if he doesn’t get this out, it might eat him alive, “I was with them for months Tony. Months. How did you not notice? How did you not know it wasn't me?”

For several moments, there’s no reply. When Steve finally musters up the courage to look up at Tony, his eyes are shiny. Steve wants to reach out, hold his hand, tell him that he’s forgiven - but he can’t. Not until he hears what Tony has to say.

“I did know,” Tony says, no louder than a whisper, “Or I suspected anyway. I didn’t know you were a Skrull, because I didn’t even know what a Skrull was back then - aside from vague mentions of them from Kang; but I knew something was up.”

“I figured it was something lingering from Asgard, maybe your time in whatever realm you got sent to when we destroyed the norn stones. I asked you about it - Skrull You that is - I offered to run some tests, be an ear if you ever needed to talk to someone.”

“If you suspected then -?”

“Skrull You waved me off, said that I was seeing things. But I kept pressing, because I knew there was something off about you. The idea that you didn’t trust me enough to let me help you - well it doesn’t matter anymore. I kept pushing, and then finally, you came up to me and admitted that there was something bothering you.”

“That there was something that you’ve been wanting to do for a while. And then you cupped my cheeks, and you kissed me.”

“Tony I -”

Tony steps back, as if Steve’s touch repulses him. “You don’t need to say it Cap,” he says with a shrug, “I know you don’t feel the same way. I was so obvious that the Skrull knew how I felt about you, and he used it to his advantage.”

He walks back until he’s almost at the door, and Steve can’t help but feel like he’s about to lose Tony forever, “but to answer your question - I did know it wasn’t you. I just didn’t want to believe it.”

He’s out before Steve can even formulate a reply, and with him; Steve can feel his heart break all over again.

_Fin_

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this entire thing in 20 minutes and didn't proofread it before I posted it, so I apologise in advance for any mistakes. Otherwise, let me know what you thought!!  
> [tumblr saw it first](https://ad1thi.tumblr.com/post/634749274788347904/the-things-we-tell-ourselves-in-the-dark)  
> [my ig](https://www.instagram.com/desi_tonystark/)  
> 


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